Starting at sunrise, the second day was jam packed with temples. We threw ourselves into the ancient city (which spans over 400 square kilometers) and walked till we dropped. It was built between the 9th and 14th centuries, and was influenced by many different people and beliefs, most notably Hindu and Buddhist. It’s more than a smattering of ancient temples: it was an entire city. With canals, reservoirs and communication routes, these ruins were the center of the Khmer empire.
I found myself in awe the entire time. It was interesting comparing the crumbling stone masterpieces to temples in Thailand. I was used to the brightly colored, well-kept Buddhist wats. The moss covered sandstone ruins gave me a new perspective on temples in general. The architecture was stunning. The Bayon temple was my favorite, but I enjoyed every temple we wandered into. The giant stone faces were puzzled together like a jigsaw, and each portrait had a content look on its face. It reminded me of ancient Mayan art for some reason. We also went to Ta Prohm, which is famous for being in Indiana Jones and Tomb Raider. White ghostly trees spilled over the dark mossy stone temple, rearranging the once sturdy rock building. It was beautiful to see what happens when nature completely overtakes something.
We spent a good chunk of the day there, and I managed to become “templed out.” I was glad that I only bought a single day pass, because there was so much more to see in Siem Reap and so little time! The following day we went to the War Museum in the morning and a boat tour of the Floating City in the afternoon. The War Museum isn’t a “museum” in the traditional sense, but it was one of the most eye opening and impactful experiences I have had during my time abroad. The museum itself was an open courtyard with dozens of old rusty tanks and guns. There were little awnings along the side of the courtyard which housed landmines, guns, photos, gas masks, and other remnants from the Vietnam and Cambodian wars. Our guide (his name was Dork, I know, but it’s Cambodian, ok?) was a young man whose father fought in the war. He told us terrible stories of how the people were treated during the war, as well as revealed personal stories of how the war touched his life. His father came back from the war severely affected by the atrocities he had witnessed. He had seen people chained to metal tanks so that they had to stay and fight until they died from the heat or even cut off their legs. He saw people step on landmines and have millions of ball bearings shot into their flesh. He saw people amputate wounds in the field with wires, and then abstain from drinking for three days so you don't bleed out. Many died. He saw farmers use human remains to fertilize their fields… And when he came home to his wife and child, he turned to alcohol and domestic violence. When Dork was recounting these stories his eyes glistened and his voice faltered, “I hated him. I was so angry with him. But now that I know what he went through, I feel sorry for him,” he said.
The government remains in shambles from the war, and is quite corrupt to this day. Virtually no money goes back to helping the people. Some of the people in power TODAY are former war generals, who murdered 100’s of civilians to attain that rank. I can’t recount the horrific history the Cambodian people have suffered through in this post, but I urge you to research the Khmer Rouge. Learn about the Vietnam War. It will make you uncomfortable to think about U.S. troops killing thousands of Cambodians in search for Viet Cong during the Vietnam war, but you need to challenge yourself to think about it from their side. I was extremely lucky to have amazing teachers in middle school and high school who taught about the WORLD rather than the cookie-cutter, All-American view (Shout out to Matt Strand, Deborah Warshaw, Jenn Todd and Chris Boyle). You’ll find accuracy in empathy. I’ll leave you with that.
After an emotional morning, we were off to our next adventure: a boat tour through the Floating Villages on Lake Tonle Sap, the largest lake in Southeast Asia. We hopped in a minivan and went on the car ride of a lifetime. I was used to some pretty lax attitudes about adhering to traffic laws in Thailand, but this was another story. If our driver wanted to pass a slower car he would swerve into oncoming traffic to see if he could make it around. If there happened to be a giant truck roaring towards us, he would hop back into his lane and wait a few moments before trying again. We turned off the highway onto a long dirt road, or at least I assumed it was a road because we were driving on it. It was extremely bumpy, and definitely not minivan friendly. But somehow we survived!
We got on a wooden long boat with a motor and starting cruising down the muddy brown river. It took awhile before we actually saw the villages, but quiet ride down the river was the perfect mental break from a hard morning. Lost in my thoughts, I was jolted back to reality when the boat’s engine quieted as we slowed down. Brightly colored houses on stilts came into sight as we turned a bend in the river. There were people in boats and in the water surrounding the houses-- children laughing and swimming in the murky brown water, men and women combing through fishing nets, and old, shirtless men sitting on porches staring into the distance. We learned that there are 700 families living in the community, and not a lot of resources for them here. There are two schools for young children, but no option to go onto high school. The people looked up as we passed them, and some held my gaze as we glided by on our boat.
The boat docked and dropped us off on a small strip of land in the middle of this lake.There was a swarm of children who eagerly came to greet us. They all had huge smiles on their faces and were quick to laugh. Even though I’m sure they were no strangers to tourist visits, they seemed genuinely excited to see us. "Hello, how are you, where you from,” they would ask. It was clear that their English was limited, but they weren’t afraid to practice with us. They danced and played around, and even posed for pictures. It was a bittersweet scene for me. I couldn’t help looking at this children and feeling sorry for them; they were living in utter poverty. But at the same time they were happy. I feel like there is an authenticity that comes with living a simple life. It forces you to love everything you have and enjoy everything you can. I cannot really expect to describe these people’s feelings, but it made me wonder how they do it.
The children followed us as we walked down the single “street”, laughing and playing alongside our group. Our tour guide laughed with them, and occasionally broke into Khmer to say a few words to them. He patted a little boy on the head as he wandered toward us to investigate. It was clear that he had a relationship with these children. There was a man from Hong Kong on our tour who reached into his pocket and pulled out a pack of mentos. The little boy narrowed in on him right away and assertively walked up to him with his hand out. He didn’t say a word, but we all knew what he was looking for: candy. After the man from Hong Kong gave the boy a piece, the child latched onto his hand and walked with us for the rest of our tour.
We went back to the boat, and were taken to a barge-like wooden platform. We wanted to see the sunset on the lake, so we had some down time to just chill out, or go on a small boat tour through a mangrove forest. Can you guess what we decided to do?
I got on a small wooden boat with Maia and sat cross legged on the floor. Our guide through the trees was a very old man who didn't speak English, but he kept looking back and smiling a little to communicate. It was a peaceful little excursion into a magical cluster of trees which reached up through the lake and twisted into a low canopy that hung above our heads. The sun shed a warm, dappled light which danced on the water as we lazily journeyed through the forest. It was the most serene and beautiful slice of nature I could’ve asked for. A perfect segway to the next thing on our agenda: sunset.
The sunset was glorious, as many are. The warm orange hues splashed down on the water as the sun slowly sunk below the horizon. Really the best way to show you is to actually SHOW you, so I’ll attach photos.
Why are we always chasing sunsets? There’s something that draws us to them. There’s the obvious visual appeal with stunning colors and bursts of light through clouds, but there’s a hidden beauty as well. It’s the feeling you get when you witness such a grand finale. It It’s a big deal; it fills up the entire sky! And but then it’s over, and darkness falls. It represents more than the end of the day. It makes way for a new adventure. Thank you Cambodia, for opening the door to more adventures to come.